US officials rescue 71 migrants near Puerto Rico

Federal officials have rescued 71 Haitian migrants found stranded on the shores of a cluster of islands just west of Puerto Rico.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Coast Guard first rescued two migrants found on one island and then the remainder of the group from the island of Desecheo off the western coastal town of Rincon.

Customs spokesman Jeffrey Quinones said Saturday that a large number of the Haitians were dehydrated and had bruises and scratches. They were taken to hospitals for treatment.

The rescue comes a week after 67 migrants from Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic were found in the same cluster of islands. One Haitian woman was found dead.